There are many different types of trusts. One of the most commonly used is the Revocable Living Trust (also known as RLT or Living Trust). Essentially, "revocable" means you can change your mind, and make changes to the trust—including restating the entire document with new terms. Let's assume that the fancy words "your assets" just mean "your stuff."

A revocable living trust is like a box with an open top. You can put your stuff in the box and take your stuff out at any time. When you set up the trust, you put all of your stuff, such as your home and bank accounts into the trust. Maybe a few months later, you open a new account at the bank. It can go in the trust. Then, the following year, you take out some stock in the latest wonder company—you can put it in the trust. A few years later, you decide to sell your home and buy a new home in another neighborhood. You can take the old home out of the trust and sell it, and then when you find your new dream home, you can purchase it and put it in the trust.

You appoint yourself as the initial trustee of the trust. The trustee is the person that is responsible for managing the trust assets. If you become incapacitated or when you die, the trust document includes your written instructions specifying who takes over as successor trustee and what they are supposed to you with your stuff. The trust holds everything securely so that your family should not have to face the horrible prospect of probate at the time of death.

Carolina Family Estate Planning provides full-service estate plans to those in and around North Carolina’s Triangle, including but not limited to Cary, Wake County, Apex, Durham, Raleigh, Orange County, Holly Springs, Research Triangle Park, Morrisville, Fuquay-Varina, Durham County, Garner, Wake Forest, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Fayetteville..